There is nothing quite like a hearty meal to warm you up on cold winter days. We asked Ilse van der Merwe, better known as The Food Fox, to show us how to prepare a delicious stuffed roast chicken. This dish is perfect for cosy dinner parties, or for a lovely Sunday lunch.
Tingy’s Pot-Roasted Chicken with Pineapple, Parsley & Sage Stuffing (serves 6)
Tingy Brinkwa was the head cook at Cranemere for many years. Visitors to the farm would marvel at the tenderness of her roast chicken. The secret is in the pot, fitted with a lid that is removed near the end of the cooking time, which allows a few minutes for the chicken to brown before being served.
Ingredients
1,5 kg free-range chicken, with giblets if possible
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1kg baby onions, peeled
130 g streaky bacon, chopped
2 T olive oil
50 g butter
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2-3 generous splashes vermouth
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
6 whole baby leeks
10 whole baby carrots
300 ml good chicken stock
For the stuffing:
120 g streaky bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
Chicken liver from giblets, finely chopped (optional)
A couple of fresh sage leaves, chopped
1.2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 t lemon zest
1/4 pineapple, finely diced
1 cup breadcrumbs
For the stuffing: Sauté the bacon and onion in the olive oil and butter until the onion is translucent and the bacon soft, but not yet browned. Add the liver and fry for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients for the stuffing and fry for another 3-4 minutes, stirring.
For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 160 C. Season the chicken all over and inside, then fill the cavity with the stuffing. In a deep ovenproof pot with a lid, sauté the bacon and baby onions in the olive oil and butter, allowing them to brown slightly. Add the garlic, fry for about 2 minutes, then pour in the vermouth, which will froth and splutter. Add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, leeks, carrots and stock and place the chicken in the pot, burying it deep among the onions. Bring up to a bubbling simmer over a low heat, cover and transfer to the oven and cook at 160 C for 1 hour, until the onions are very tender, Remove the lid and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, allowing the juices to reduce and the chicken to brown.
To serve: Carefully lift the chicken onto a hot serving platter for carving, spoon the vegetables around it and ladle juices with bacon bits over the top.
The flavourful aroma is enough to create a warm atmosphere, but the right decorations go a long way. We decorated our table with our latest Wonki Ware range, Laguiole cutlery and beautiful iron candle holders. Now we’re ready to satisfy and inspire our nearest and dearest.
This recipe and more can be found in the Prickly Pears & Pomegranates cookbook by Bernadette le Roux and Marianne Palmer.
